U.S. Surgeon General Releases Historic First Report on Addiction

This November, the United States Surgeon General’s office released its first report on addiction, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health. In the Executive Summary to the report, the Surgeon General’s office states that despite the high social and economic costs of addiction, this is a time of great opportunity given reforms in criminal justice and health as well as new research, clinical, and information technologies. The Surgeon General’s report also notes significant barriers to treatment that people suffering from substance use disorders face that must be addressed if our nation is to stem the tide of the opioid epidemic and make progress on reducing drug alcohol dependency.